Next Year Prep Already

It was touch-and-go last week,but all’s well that ends well, as we managed to circumvent the worst of the weather and to sow our late summer green manures despite the rain, cover crops that are a guarantee of success for next year’s growing season. Indeed, yours truly is already focused on securing the winningest conditions for our 2024…

Despite the (Lousy) Weather…

Given all the bad news we’ve been hearing in local media, I thought a brief review of the state of our fields was in order.Overall, despite the weather, things are going rather well (or at least, better than might otherwise be expected). There are nevertheless a few imperilled crops, allow me to share the list…

Garlic Party

It was not the subject of last week’s missive, but I would be remiss if I failed to tell you more aboutour first group harvest of the season.By group harvest I mean an activity that requires the participation of every available resource on the farm, an activity necessitating everyone’s full focus, a sense of urgency and an almost military…

Mother Nature Wreaking Havoc

While this week has begun in sunny territory for once,I seize this opportunity to share with you how unpredictably unlucky – or lucky – one can be in agriculture. Last Thursday, as I was mowing the alleys between sections in one of our big fields, dark clouds suddenly appeared on the horizon. The wind picked…

Tipping Point

One could surmise that last Thursday’stempest was the tipping pointbetween a summer that was loathe to arrive and one that is now suddenly, and fully, installed…What makes me think so? Perhaps the tomatoes that are now slowly, but surely, turning red; or the eggplant and pepper plants which have almost doubled in size in a…

It’s Raining Cats and Dogs…

The coming week does not bode well for most market farmers.Need I remind you that we have seen more than our fair share of rain over the past two weeks? It seems that Mother Nature has decided to add insult to injury in the guise of an additional 100+ millimeters of rain by tomorrow followed…

A New Look

I often drive by farms with signs that leave me puzzled,for lack of a better word. Indeed, the seemingly straightforward task of designing an advertisement becomes a challenge, particularly if you are looking to avoid spending a small fortune on branding. Over the past 15 years, we’ve made twoseparate attempts at general farm signage.The first…

Fourth week of CSA deliveries already!

Given the opening of our market stands on Friday, June 30th,we remind all our market farm members (CSA basket subscribers and prepaid Loyalty card holders) that we will be welcoming you at Atwater and Jean-Talon from this weekend onwards. To CSA basket members, your first basket will be awaiting you on your allotted day (Friday,…

Water and Soil

Last Friday we witnessed a diluvian downpour,the likes of which we had not seen in a long time. In a few hours, all our fields were flooded, and our spring-fed pond and field drainage-replenished pond was likewise filled to the brim. A nice problem to have, those who suffer from chronic water deficits – our friends…

Variable Weather

Go-with-the-flow is the watchwordwhich best captures the farmer’s stoic acceptance that it is Mother Nature who decides how one’s days are spent. This week is a case in point, as we compulsively await every Environment Canada weather update to plan our day, our week and our day of rest. The upcoming week is looking to be…